News

For Immediate Release

Rain Bird Partners to Support
2013 National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation

Irrigation Leader Serves As A Major Partner In Encouraging Residents In More Than 1,000 Cities To Take A Leadership Role in Reducing Residential Water Use

AZUSA, CALIF. - (April 8, 2013 – Rain Bird, the world’s largest irrigation company, is once again supporting the National Mayor’s Challenge For Water Conservation, a non-profit competition to see which city leaders can best inspire their residents to make online pledges aimed at drastically slashing water and energy use across the nation throughout the month of April, which is also Earth Month.

As a program partner, Rain Bird joins The Wyland Foundation, Toyota, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National League of Cities, Lowe’s home improvement stores, the U.S. Forest Service and CH2M Hill Watermatch, in a nationwide effort to urge mayors to challenge each other’s cities and encourage residents to conserve water, save energy and reduce pollution.

As part of the challenge, the public is being asked to visit www.mywaterpledge.com, enter the name of their city and make a water-saving pledge on behalf of their city between April 2nd – 30th. The challenge divides cities into five population categories: 5,000 – 30,000 residents, 30,000 – 100,000 residents, 100,000 – 300,000 residents, 300,000 – 600,000 residents, and cities with more than 600,000 residents. One winning city will be determined in each of the five population categories. Participants have the chance to win hundreds of environmentally friendly prizes, including a Toyota Prius c, custom-designed Rain Bird irrigation systems and a $1,000 Lowe’s shopping spree. Mayors from many of America’s greatest cities, including Los Angeles, Denver, Tucson, Seattle, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., have joined the effort to encourage their residents to make a difference for water conservation.

“We applaud mayors everywhere for their participation in this national campaign,” said Dave Johnson, Rain Bird’s director of corporate marketing. The friendly competition not only encourages greater awareness of the need to conserve water, but also inspires and spurs meaningful action. Participation in this program goes hand-in-hand with Rain Bird’s commitment to the Intelligent Use of Water philosophy that is instilled into every facet of our operations, products and technologies.”

Last year, residents from 1,000 cities in all 50 states made online pledges to save a total of 4.7 billion gallons of water over the next year, with a potential cost savings of $11.6 million. Residents further pledged to reduce their use of single-use plastic water bottles by 1.1 million bottles and eliminate 60,000 pounds of hazardous waste from entering watersheds.

ABOUT RAIN BIRD CORPORATION
Headquartered in Azusa, Calif., Rain Bird Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services. From simple beginnings in 1933, Rain Bird now offers the industry's broadest range of irrigation products for farms, golf courses, sports arenas, commercial developments and homes, available in more than 130 countries. Rain Bird has been awarded over 450 patents worldwide, including the first in 1935 for the impact sprinkler. Rain Bird’s philosophy called The Intelligent Use of Water ® is about using water wisely. Its commitment extends beyond products to education, training and services for the industry and the community. Rain Bird maintains state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities around the world. http://www.rainbird.com

About the Wyland Foundation
Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland (best known for his series of 100 monumental marine life murals), the Wyland Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is actively engaged in teaching millions of students around the country about our ocean, rivers, lakes streams, and wetlands. The foundation's latest project, FOCUS (Forests, Oceans, Climate -- and us) brings together the U.S. Forest Service, NOAA, and numerous non-profits to teach young people about the future of our water supplies, climate, and global health. www.wylandfoundation.org